Flexible superabsorbents are known in the art. Such superabsorbents provide the advantage of being highly absorbent, yet flexible enough to be incorporated into absorbent articles, particularly thin absorbent articles such as pantiliners, that require a high degree of bending. Absorbent articles comprising flexible superabsorbents however are generally manufactured by printing or spraying the nascent superabsorbent onto a nonwoven composite followed by drying. This process not only requires additional equipment compared to the manufacture of traditional absorbent articles, but is also more costly and slower. Also, while the use of flexible superabsorbents results in absorbent articles that are less stiff than similar articles containing traditional superabsorbent materials, the articles may still have stiffness levels that exceed those desired by consumers.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for improved absorbent composites comprising flexible superabsorbents and absorbent articles incorporating the same. One desire is to make absorbent articles thinner. Another desire is to make absorbent articles more flexible. Yet another desire is to improve or maintain the absorbent intake and/or the absorbent capacity of such articles. Overarching all of these desires is the desire to reduce the cost of manufacturing and to use existing manufacturing equipment and processes.